Method and means for treating fruits having pits



June 18, 1946. r R. POLK, SR, ET'AL 2,402,181

METHOD AND MEANS FOR TREATING FRUITS HAVING PITS Original Filed Sept, 12, 1941 IINVENTOR. 841 Pb P01 K 5:2,: 7 -2 B91 PH P01 K J2.

Wau h Patented June 18, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND MEANS FOR TREATING FRUITS HAVING PITS Polk, J 1'.

Original application September 12, 1941, Serial No. 410,530. Divided and this application August 5, 1944, Serial No. 548,168

4 Claims. 1

This application is a division from our application Serial No. 410,530, filed September 12, 1941, now Patent 2,378,101.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved method and mechanism for sectionizing that type of fruit which comprises a central pit surrounded by an edible meat body, typified by the peach, and, more particularly, commercially useful for treating fruits of the specified type wherein the pits are relatively free.

The drawing is an elevation of an embodiment of our invention.

In the drawing indicates a suitable base upon which is journalled a pin 3| and aligned with that pin is another pin 3|, the shank H of which is journalled in a carriage l2 slidably mounted on base 10 axially of the two pins 3 l--3 l. Shank 'H carries a stop arm 13 arranged to coact, in both directions of rotation of shank H, with a stop finger 14 which is a portion of carriage l2. Shank H is rotationally biased in one direction by a spring which normally holds arm 13 in engagement with finger l4. Shank H carries a pulley 16 around which is Wound a cord 11 in a direction such that a pull on the cord will cause rotation of shank H, and its finger 13, in opposition to the bias of spring 15.

The operation is as follows:

Fruit to be pitted, having been impaled upon one or the other of pins 3|, carriage 12 is shifted to cause impalement of the fruit by the other pin 3! whereupon a sudden sharp pull upon cord 1'! will rotate the fruit until rotation of the pins 3| is suddenly stopped by engagement of arm 13 with finger 14 in opposition to the pull exerted on the cord. This movement imposes upon the meat of the fruit sufiicient circumferential energy to cause the fruit meat to slip circu-mferentially upon the pit and thus, when rotation of the pit is suddenly stopped, free the pit from the meat.

If desired, the fruit meat may be preliminarily segmented by radial slits, in which case the centrifugal force generated in the fruit meat will cause the meat segments to fiy free from the fruit pit.

' ficient to generate substantial circumferential energy in the meat, and suddenlystopping rotation of the pit thereby breaking the natural bond between pit and meat.

2. The method of treating fruit, having a pit, which comprises slitting the meat to form meat segments, positively engaging and holding the pit, rotating the slitted fruit about an axis extending through the pit, and suddenly stopping rotation of the pit thereby breaking the natural bond be tween pit and meat.

3. Apparatus for treating fruit having a pit,

comprising a pair of aligned meat-penetrating and pit-engaging members, one movable relative to the other to cause meat-penetration and pit-engagement therebetween and rotatable about the common axis of said members, means by which said members with the intermediate fruit as a unit may be completely rotated at high speed about said axis, and means by which said rotation may be suddenly arrested.

4. Apparatus for treating fruit having a pit, comprising a main frame, a pair of fruit-meat penetrating and pit-engaging members journalled on said frame with a common axis, a carrier for one of said members movably mounted on said frame to cause meat-penetration and pit-engagement, means rotatively biasing one of said memers in one direction, means by which one of said members may be rotatively actuated in opposition to said bias, and means by which such rotation may be suddenly arrested.

RALPH POLK, SR. RALPH POLK, JR. 

